[Q] Anyone had success with B&Q sharpening guide?

[Fromey]

Having watched the ease with which Chris Schwarz fits his blades to his side clamping honing guide, I was hankering after one (my Axminster guide is somewhat awkward to set up). To my surprise, no UK online source I could find sells them. This, despite the fact that Lie-Nielsen's US web site sell them;

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=jig

Then yesterday, whilst in B&Q on a power reel purchasing expedition, I discovered exactly the same guides for just £6 (they don't appear to be on their web site however). I thought, "How could a B&Q anything be worth buying? Especially if I could get a Lie-Nielsen one."

But then I read about them in Chris Schwarz article;

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/artic ... ng_Guides/

Where he describes them as dime-a-dozen and of varying quality. That explains why the Lie-Nielsen guide is so cheap and states it is made in Taiwan (a point I hadn't previously noticed).

Therefore, to my question;

Has anyone got one of these B&Q guides and are they any good?

Thanks, as always, in advance.

 

[bugbear]

Therefore, to my question;

Has anyone got one of these B&Q guides and are they any good?

Thanks, as always, in advance.

They're made like rubbish, and they work just fine. Whilst you're using your B&Q guide, keep your eyes open at car boots for the original Eclipse model, if that's what you want.

BugBear

 

[Fromey]

My Google-Fu was obviously not with me. Since I posted, I've found a plethora of copies;

http://www.shopwiki.co.uk/Honing+Guide

Now, which brand to choose from?

However, they all look to be much of a muchness, so I might as well go for the B&Q guide (it's the cheapest) and if it turns out to be rubbish, I can throw it into the recycling.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Has anyone got one of these B&Q guides and are they any good?

I had a look at the B&Q version (yellow colour) and it was not very good. One side of the pieces that clamp the tool should be straight and the other side curved to work well. On the B&Q version both sides were straight. A small detail but an important one in my view. The best of the Eclipse clones that I have seen was one I bought in Pennyfarthing Tools. Very well made and holds wider blades than the Eclipse so it can be used for blades from the #80 style scraper and scraper planes. I don't know how wide the B&Q version opens but might be worth checking.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

I got the Veritas Mk. II Honing Guide from one of the guys here and it was a very worthwhile buy. I can sharpen onehanded while watching tv ..

The only downside to _any_ guide is their bulk can make it awkward to do the back of the blade when you flip it upside down.

 

[woodbloke]

Whichever of the 'Eclipse' style guides are used, they work best with a projection board, similar to a miniature bench hook. The board will provide a guaranteed honing angle every time - Rob

 

[digitalbot]

In a word..rubbish. Get a good one to start with and you wont regret it.

 

[Shultzy]

I would buy one with the widest roller as the original. which I have, is prone to tilting when using a wide blade.

 

[bugbear]

I would buy one with the widest roller as the original. which I have, is prone to tilting when using a wide blade.

To the contrary, I find wide blades self-register nicely on the stone.

And I own a jig with a roughly 8" wide roller!

If your jig has a wide, stable roller, it then becomes essential to get the blade in the jig very exactly, otherwise you'll have to grind the blade to match the roller each time you sharpen. With a narrow roller, the blade registers itself on the stone, and the roller just (withing reason) does as it's told.

I have a Marples 7418 sharpening jig where the (narrow) roller is actually ground convex!

With narrow blade (e.g. 1/8" chisels) I find a self-stabilising jig more useful.

But for 2" plane blade the Eclipse is superb.

BugBear

 

[woodbloke]

But for 2" plane blade the Eclipse is superb.

BugBear

I agree with you BB in that the Eclipse (and it's clones various) are very good, but one of the main issues I had with it was that over time (or at least after severial honings) the edge took on a skew, due to uneven finger pressure or my hamfistidnes which was intensely irritating. Nothing wrong with a skewed blade except that it prevented getting a really close mouth opening on the planes...
...so I now use something else :wink: - Rob

 

[Paul Chapman]

For chisels, I find the Trend guide good. It registers from the flat side of the blade and has a wide roller

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

Interestingly though, when Steve M reviewed the very guuuchi Bridge City version in BW this month, the (Russians have just got the WC in 2018 btw) the Eclipse was the dog's danglies... - Rob

 

[Paul Chapman]

the Eclipse was the dog's danglies...

I think it depends on the sort of blade you are honing - the Eclipse won't take them all.

I now use three guides. The Veritas Mk2

This is good for bench plane blades, skew blades, scraper blades and with the convex roller scrub plane blades.

The Trend, which is good for chisels and many of the combination plane blades

And the Veritas Mk 1 which is good for blades that need to be clamped in the guide from the top

I find that I hardly use my Eclipse at all now.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

I now use three guides.

I find that I hardly use my Eclipse at all now.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

...don't get me started :lol: I only use one (as you know) and it will do 99% of all my blades. The Eclipse (a genuine one) is now redundant - Rob

 

[Paul Chapman]

...don't get me started :lol:

Sorry, Rob, I wasn't having a go at you.......honest :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Alf]

There's a Stanley jobbie that's exceptionally good for short blades...

I think the narrow roller/wide roller thing probably depends on whether you view a honing guide as simply a basic guide to the correct angle or more than that and want it to dictate "square" or a given value of same as well. Personally I find wide rollers more restrictive than helpful, but it'd be a boring world if we were all the same.

 

[Harbo]

I am not really a collector but I have a Stanley, an Eclipse, Kell II & III, Veritas II and an EdgePro Apex (for really awkward blades).

They do not take up much room?

Rod

 

[woodbloke]

I am not really a collector but I have a Stanley, an Eclipse, Kell II & III, Veritas II and an EdgePro Apex (for really awkward blades).

Rod

Blimey Rod, I reckon you've just nudged your way into pole position...Paul C is definitely second on the grid now! :lol: :lol: - Rob

 

[stoatyboy]

I bought one of the wickes guides which seemed really good at the time but have since picked up eclipse ones at boot fairs that are better

that trend one looks nice though